I root for outcasts and misfits and all that. And how hard a sell is dorky dude meets semi-wild chick with a good heart?

Except I HATE these people. Every single person on the show who is supposed to superficial or representative of boring society in some way is eminently more likeable and interesting than the protagonists. I would say the deserve all the crap they get, except they donít. They deserve way more crap than they get.

I just got Hulu Live. They had a documentary about The Dana Carver Show. It was actually somewhat fascinating. I think I watched it once for like 5 minutes when it was on and thought it sucked. I had no idea so many now famous people worked on it. Definitely worth watching if you get a chance.

Anyway in the little interview outtakes during the credits, Stephen Colbert is talking. Yes, Colbert got his start on the show. As did Steve Carrell. Anyway, Colbert is talking and then suddenly he drops a Lebensraum joke out of nowhere! I was like Hell Yeah, Lebensraum is COMEDY GOLD! I rewound it like five times.

Tonight's House Hunters will feature a couple looking for a house in Richmond.

They're empty nesters. The wife wants "a row house with room for her gowns." The husband wants "a Tudor with a designated beer brewing space."

That is just... well-done, HGTV. Every last detail, so dead-on perfect. I don't know anything about the couple other than that blurb but if anyone wants a perfect photograph of the Richmond Zeitgeist in January 2018, that's it.

There's pretty much a zero percent chance they won't look at a house in the Fan so you guys might get to see my old neighborhood.

Tonight's House Hunters will feature a couple looking for a house in Richmond.

They're empty nesters. The wife wants "a row house with room for her gowns." The husband wants "a Tudor with a designated beer brewing space."

That is just... well-done, HGTV. Every last detail, so dead-on perfect. I don't know anything about the couple other than that blurb but if anyone wants a perfect photograph of the Richmond Zeitgeist in January 2018, that's it.

There's pretty much a zero percent chance they won't look at a house in the Fan so you guys might get to see my old neighborhood.

For some reason, I first read this as an episode of TINY HOUSE and I was getting angrier by the second, thinking about how unreasonable their expectations were for people wanting to "go tiny". Read, Land. Read.

I will definitely check this out since I'm in a VERY terrible (new) habit of recording all of the House Hunters episodes and just skipping to the last segment when they actually pick the house. I do not watch this show for the journey. I just want a quick synopsis of their options and I want to yell at them for the one that they pick.

Does anyone else wonder if they give these folks a free couples therapy session before they sit down to pick the one they'll buy? They are waaaaaaaaaay too nice to each other when they discuss their differences. "Fuck you, Greg. I don't want a pool!" would be how our talks would probably go down.

It turned out they actually had a reasonable, conservative budget and were given good options. There was no way they were going to get what they both wanted, but they did a good job in presenting realistic choices.

Next weeks episode is also in Richmond. He wants a mid-century modern house. She wants a plantation row house.

I think what dude really likes is mid-century DECOR. Because there really isn't that much mid-century residential architecture and what exists is uber-expensive and generally custom. And there definitely isn't much of it in Richmond. And I have no idea what a "plantation row house" is. You either have a plantation, or you have a row house, and they are pretty much opposites. I'm guessing what she means is "Victorian."

It turned out the dude really meant it when he said mid-century. He was into brick ranchers which is undoubtedly mid-century. I just didnít think anyone was into ranchers. Except me, but not for aesthetic purposes. Theyíre ugly as hell. I just like they have good interior floor space usually.

The woman was kind of crazy, or at least edited that way. She wanted big closets in an old rowhouse. Which isnít going to happen. Also she said things like ďI loved the yellow doorĒ as if you couldnít just paint any door yellow for $30. But she wasnít unreasonable about it. She seemed to accept the limitations in good stride.

They bought in Church Hill, which is a good choice for a young couple. He did not get a detached house, she did not get the closet space. But they both wanted to be in the city and to be able to walk places. And on their budget, they could not afford The Fan or Cary Town/West of Boulevard.

I would have picked that house if I were me. Or them. And they dudnít seem to struggle too hard. They both liked that house best. Their neighborhood is not-quite-gentrified so itís a little sketchy, but Iím guessing they know that. Itís not THAT sketchy either.

I think ranches are making a bit of a comeback. They are pretty popular here, but I do live in the land of ranches.

I can't see it happening in Richmond. Though the problem is not with ranchers themselves.

For new construction, there is probably a ton of interest in a 1000-1500 square foot, one level house, with an open layout. They would sell like hotcakes. The problem is, it's not cost-effective for developers. Adding another floor is cheap. So instead one 1200 square foot rancher, you could build two 1200 square foot, 2 story condos in the same footprint. You make a lot more money selling 2 units, plus the city likes it because it's denser population infill.

For old construction, the problem is that the ranchers that were built are all on the outskirts of the city in these old, faded 50's suburban hells. Just like 5 miles of indistinguishable subdivisions with identical ranchers. No retail is there, and you can't put retail there because they are not zoned as mixed use. And the houses there were built kinda cheap and now their age is showing. It's quieter than the city, but you can't use it to your advantage. There are no sidewalks. And while there isn't that much traffic, the cars in that subdivision all drive through at like 45 mph because no one likes being there longer than they have to. So it's not good for dog walking or biking.

Richmond does not really have traffic issues, so it's more about vibe. Once you're out of the hip areas, you might as well live 20 miles away instead of 10 miles away. You can get a much newer house, near better schools, that is bigger and with a bigger lot.

The ranchers are all in that doughnut deadzone around the city. It's not like they are ghettos or anything. I mean, people live there. They're just not that enthused about it. It's mostly like first-time homeowners hoping to transition back to the city or out to the nicer burbs once they build up enough equity.

There's this one small area on the Southside right by the river that has a bunch of large 1500 square foot or more ranchers. Those were built to be upscale back in the 50's so they do have a bit of cool mid-century vibe. It's kind of secluded but people like it that way. You get a river view or maybe just a 5 minute walk to the river. Still just a 15-20 minute downtown. That area is super-hot. You have to be a certain kind of person (outdoorsy, like to garden maybe) to live there but there are enough around here. But that area is the exception.

For old construction, the problem is that the ranchers that were built are all on the outskirts of the city in these old, faded 50's suburban hells. Just like 5 miles of indistinguishable subdivisions with identical ranchers. No retail is there, and you can't put retail there because they are not zoned as mixed use. And the houses there were built kinda cheap and now their age is showing. It's quieter than the city, but you can't use it to your advantage. There are no sidewalks. And while there isn't that much traffic, the cars in that subdivision all drive through at like 45 mph because no one likes being there longer than they have to. So it's not good for dog walking or biking.

For old construction, the problem is that the ranchers that were built are all on the outskirts of the city in these old, faded 50's suburban hells. Just like 5 miles of indistinguishable subdivisions with identical ranchers. No retail is there, and you can't put retail there because they are not zoned as mixed use. And the houses there were built kinda cheap and now their age is showing. It's quieter than the city, but you can't use it to your advantage. There are no sidewalks. And while there isn't that much traffic, the cars in that subdivision all drive through at like 45 mph because no one likes being there longer than they have to. So it's not good for dog walking or biking.